20 Best Nightlife in Mexico City, Mexico

It housed conquistadors during the 16th century; today the Centro is a Spanish cultural center with daily art exhibits, plays, films, and other events, including occasional live indie, electronic, and rock bands on the terrace of the bar-restaurant.

This grand, cavernous 1940s-era cantina has a long antique bar to one side and a kitchen serving up tasty Asturian Spanish fare. It's filled nightly with the sounds of the tercera edad (a polite phrase for the elder generation) playing exuberant games of dominoes and millennials chatting about their adventures at Roma's latest gallery opening.

This sloppy gem of a loft is part metro stop, part college-dorm commons, part debating society, and part pulquería. It's run by 1950s national lightweight boxing champion and folk hero Epiphanio "Pifas" Leyva, and serves beer and pulque (a drink made with the fermented sap of one type of agave plant) to a young, intellectual crowd that loves to sing and dance to the excellent jukebox of punk and local guacapunk (Mexican ska) classics. If you want a rowdy afternoon (the bar is usually closed by 11, and always closed on Sunday), this is the place. Note that it's technically in the Doctores neighborhood, but borders Colonia Roma.

The slogan of this classic dance halls says it all: "Whoever doesn't know Los Angeles doesn't know Mexico." When Salón Los Angeles turned 80 in 2017, a who's who of Mexico City turned out to celebrate, from actors and writers to politicians and ambassadors. A flashback to the hot pink splendor of Mexico's mid-century boom years (it opened in 1937), Salón Los Angeles is a fairly quiet place on most nights, where older couples from the surrounding neighborhood come to dance to live bands playing salsa, cumbia, and danzón. But when big acts come through town, the hall, large enough for 600 people, bursts to life. These are the nights to be here, so keep an eye on the line-up on their website. Note that La Guerrero can be dangerous at night, so it's best to come and go by Uber.

Set in the vault of an art deco bank in the heart of Centro, the capital's coolest jazz joint hosts local and international acts. The intimate setting and enthusiastic audiences seem to bring out the best in performers. It's open Wednesday through Saturday, and offers a small menu of international dishes.

The young and the hip favor this bar, a 10-minute walk northeast of Zona Rosa. Upon entering, you need to change pesos into milagros (miracles), which are notes necessary to buy drinks throughout the night. The trick is to remember to change them back before last call.

The tiny, gritty Cabaret La Perla dates from 1946 and is now one of several popular gay bars lining the western end of Calle República de Cuba. Weekend drag shows are some of the city's best, with performances focusing on Mexican pop divas. Friday and Saturday shows are at 11:30 pm and 1:30 am, but come before 10 pm to get a table.

This traditional 1940s cantina in the heart of Condesa serves up tasty Spanish- and Mexican-style tapas, inexpensive drinks, and loads of atmosphere. Tables go fast, so prepare to saddle up to the bar.

Stop by this restaurant-bar set in dramatic former 16th-century convent for drinks on the cloistered central patio. It's especially lovely around dusk and a great option for a pre-dinner drink, whether you opt to stay and dine here or wander elsewhere. There's live music some evenings, too.

Students and hip intellectuals of all ages pack "the Raven's Son," thanks to an interesting mix of rock, jazz, and other live music performances as well as intriguing art shows on the walls. Set on the northwest corner of Jardín Centenario, it's also a nice spot to enjoy a beer or a light bite to eat on the patio. It stages occasional theater shows, too.

The Habita Hotel rooftop showcases a magnificent view of the city from its hip open-air bar and terrace. The lounge area and its fireplace is a great place to chill out without catching a chill. Sipping a selection from the range of mezcals on offer will also do the trick.

At this welcoming, lively Cuban joint set in a fadingly grand mansion that wouldn't look the least out of place in Havana, every surface is splashed with graffiti. Inspired by the original Havana establishment where Hemingway once lapped up mojitos, La Bodeguita also serves inexpensive Cuban food and sells Cuban cigars. Much of the time, live salsa, timba, and rumba bands provide entertainment.

Many locals consider the merengue and salsa music played at this dance hall, southeast of Colonia Roma, to be some of the city's best. It also offers dance classes and live music.

One of the city's classic watering holes has attracted top personalities since it opened in 1870. Don't forget to have your waiter point out the bullet hole in the ceiling allegedly left by Mexican revolutionary hero Pancho Villa. Come at night for live mariachi and good tequila.

In the early 2000s, this became one of the first bars to draw hip crowds from other parts of town to the Centro. Since then, things have calmed down, but the bar remains a pleasant spot for an afternoon beer and a lively spot for live music, which might range from salsa to hip-hop to trap, on weekend nights after 9 pm. For a complete listing of upcoming events, visit their Facebook page.

At this long-standing, high-energy, Friday-only "danceteria," DJs spin 1980s pop classics, disco, and techno while the flamboyant patrons, a fairly even mixture of gays and straights, compete in theatrical dance-offs. Prepare to sweat.

The famed cervecería opened this flagship cantina in 1928, three years after Corona beer was launched. Still a popular hangout for people who live or work in the neighborhood, it is one of the friendliest joints in town, and now boasts three other locations in the Centro (all inexplicably within a two-block radius) and another in the Zona Rosa. Try a torta of pulpo (octopus) or pierna (roast pork leg) with your giant mug of beer. Photos on the wall show the clientele reacting to the 1986 World Cup at the heartbreaking moment defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory by the national team.

This long bustling bar ranks among the city's hippest pool halls. Since there's often a wait for the tables (it's two-for-one games before 4 pm), the bar area is a popular gathering spot.

Juan Hernández opened Salón Tenampa in 1925, and was the first to introduce mariachi, originally a folk music of his home state of Jalisco, to Plaza Garibaldi. Now Plaza Garibaldi is the place to hear (and hire) not only mariachis, but also groups playing regional music styles from around Mexico. Spend the night under Salón Tenampa's historic brick arches sipping on tequila and hiring the mariachis by the song (prepare, if you can, to sing along). Plaza Garibaldi and the surrounding streets can be dodgy at night so it's wise to take a car here and back.

A dark back room and naked, muscular, bar-top dancers make for a cruise-y atmosphere at this long-popular Condesa gay bar. It doesn't attract as much leather gear anymore, but is a favorite of otters, bears, and guys who favor Scruff as their favorite hookup app.